Schedule Preview 2013: Nevada

Each Saturday leading up to the start of UCLA's fall camp in August, we'll take an in-depth look at the Bruins' gridiron opponents in 2013. This week, we open with Nevada and it's world-famous Pistol offense, which will have a new, unfamiliar leader at the helm in 2013.

May 18: Nevada

May 25: Nebraska

June 1: New Mexico State

June 8: Utah

June15: Cal

June 22: Stanford

June 29: Oregon

July 6: Colorado

July 13: Arizona

July 20: Washington

July 27: Arizona State

August 3: USC

Nevada's identity is arguably as defined as any other mid-major college football program ever has been. Most of that has to do with Chris Ault, the Wolfpack's former coach and pioneer of the Pistol offense -- a scheme that has exploded with popularity in recent years from college football to the NFL. You probably wouldn't know who Colin Kaepernick was without him. And we can all agree that would be a tragedy.

But with 2013 comes some sobering truths for the Wolfpack to accept. Ault is gone, riding off into the sunset. His pistol remains. But no one, in Nevada or elsewhere, is quite sure whether things will be the same.

(It seems worth mentioning here that this is the third time Ault has left his post as Nevada's head coach. He left back in 1992, came back in 1994, left again after 1995, and returned in 2004, invented the Pistol, and went into the College Football Hall of Fame. Not a bad career arc.)

Brian Polian, son of former Colts GM and current ESPN NFL personality Bill Polian, takes over in Ault's shadow, and he brings some solid credentials with him, having worked with blueblood programs like Michigan State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Stanford. ...Aaaand here comes the "but": Polian has never been more than a running backs coach.

The Wolfpack are a huge question mark to their own fanbase, let alone the fanbases of their opponents, so there's only so much we can tell about Nevada's trajectory this season. Lucky for UCLA, it gets Nevada early when the growing pains of a new coach and an almost completely different defensive corps should be in full effect.

LAST SEASON

Ault's final season in Reno was decidedly "meh" after a great start meandered into a spiraling pit of despair in the final six games. The Wolfpack lost five of those last six, only managing to beat a putrid New Mexico team, and allowed an average of nearly 40 points per game in that span.

The defense, it goes without saying, was a work in progress.

The Wolfpack's offense, on the other hand, was often stellar. As has been the standard under Ault, Nevada boasted a top ten rushing attack led by graduated back Stefphon Jefferson. And with Cody Fajardo playing like Kaepernick-lite, Ault had himself a very competent offense.

Still, that final stretch seemed to beg that Nevada needed a change, especially on defense.

THE STRENGTHS

Fajardo returns, and he'll be the focal point of the same Pistol offense again, as offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich returns from last year's staff. It's conceivable that Nevada could be more of a pass-oriented team than it has been in recent years. And if that's the case, Fajardo could get a chance to do his best Kaepernick impression.

The passing game will also have the luxury of returning most of the Wolfpack's receiving corps, including last year's leading receiver Brandon Wimbley. Nevada will have to replace tight end Zach Sudfeld, who played a big role in Ault's offense, but with playmaking tight end Kolby Arendse behind him, there's not much reason to worry at all about the Wolfpack being able to pass, assuming Fajardo doesn't regress.

Nevada's defense was certainly nothing to write home about last season, but those deficiencies didn't stem from the defensive line, where the Wolfpack's line actually generated a solid pass rush. That entire starting line returns in 2013, and there's reason to believe that another year of experience for the young unit should mean significant improvement.

THE WEAKNESSES

It's hard to label the entire defense a weakness -- we've already established the line was pretty good on passing downs -- but the linebacking corps and defensive backfield are almost completely stocked with JUCO transfers, young prospects, and unproven backups. That's not really a recipe for success, but hey, maybe it can't get worse for Nevada's defense. Maybe change will only help a unit that gave up the 13th-most yards on the ground and ranked 60th in pass defense. Couple that with the fact that Nevada's lockdown corner Khalid Wooten is gone, and there's the potential for full-on meltdown on defense this season.

As I mentioned before, Nevada's identity has been predicated on a steady run game that makes the pass-fake-happy style of Pistol offense especially deadly. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, they have no established guy to carry that run game in 2013. The Pistol is definitely a run-friendly system, so a breakout campaign for anyone on Nevada's depth chart is a possibility. However, those chances certainly aren't helped by the fact that Nevada's current stable of running backs has just one total carry between them.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fajardo. He'll be the lodestar of Nevada's offense, and if he can have a breakout Kaepernickian campaign, he could be one of the nation's best under-the-radar signal callers. Of course, he'll have the burden of carrying the Wolfpack's entire team, and that's a tough challenge for any QB.

Don Jackson, RB. Jackson is a JUCO transfer running back that's built like a bowling ball and averaged 8.7 yards per carry at Iowa Western last season. He already seems to have established himself as Nevada's starter with a dominant spring, and if he could breakout, Nevada might have a chance to outscore the teams it needs to, in order to make up for its porous defense.

Ian Seau, LB. Yep, it's the same Seau. Nephew of legendary Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, Ian seems to have similar otherworldy pass rushing skills, judging by his 18 sacks in 10 games at the junior college level last season. It sounds like he'll get a good shot to start, and considering Nevada had just 21 total sacks last season, why shouldn't he step in and be one of the Wolfpack's best defenders right away?

HOW DOES UCLA MATCH UP?

Given the complete toss-up at running back, there's no way to say in full confidence that UCLA will be able to torch Nevada on the ground like so many other teams likely will this season. But even with Jordon James and Paul Perkins as the Bruins' best options at the position, it's a possibility that one or both of them could start the season off strong in week one. UCLA will likely try to establish the running game early and often in this one.

And if that works, quarterback Brett Hundley could have a field day on playactions and zone reads, as Nevada would be forced to cheat up to stop the run. That should leave Hundley with plenty of chances to fool the defense and throw downfield against a secondary that lost three of its four starters.

Nevada was solid in its ability to ward off sacks, thanks to having a mobile quarterback in Fajardo and a system meant to keep quarterbacks from losing yards. This year, however, the Wolfpack will have to replace three offensive linemen, and without much time to get in sync with each other, that line could struggle against UCLA's pass attack, which had the fourth-most sacks of any college football team last season. If Anthony Barr and Co. can chase down Fajardo a few times in this one, it could make the difference.

Fajardo will test UCLA's young secondary, and given its serious lack of experience going into this game, there could be some slip-ups.

THREAT LEVEL

4.0 out of 10. There will be some mistakes early, given the youth and inexperience of some of the Bruins' key position groups. But the safe money is on UCLA to handle Nevada, especially if its defense can force Nevada into throwing on late downs and making mistakes. Expect Brett Hundley to burst onto the scene in his second season opener.

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